Attached is an editable and PDF version of an I-statement activity I have been using with students to practice I-statements. I have used this successfully with students from Kindergarten and on! The first page includes a template of an I-statement, problem solving steps, and then an explanation for why I-statements are helpful:
“We use I-Statements when we need to express ourselves or when we want to resolve conflict. I-statements help us to focus on the issue and how it makes us feel without putting the blame on others or making the situation worse by upsetting other people. I-statements work so well because no one can argue with how a situation makes you feel and if they know that it makes you feel negatively they are likely to help resolve the issue or to keep it from happening again. Sometimes we use I-statements for things that there aren’t solutions for, but it allows us to express ourselves so that others can better understand how we are feeling. When that happens they are more likely to know how to comfort us and you’re more likely to feel better for having talked about it.”
Next, you can find cut outs for different situations for students to practice organizing an I-statement from a situation. There is also a page of discussion questions for you to explore in counseling sessions with your students and examples of how we could use I-statements for some of the scenarios listed.
Love for the Elementary Counselor 